Germany: Pakistani refugee gets 20 months on probation for rape of six-year-old

A Berlin court sentenced a Pakistani refugee who was accused of raping a six year-old girl in a refugee shelter to 20-months on probation, in the German capital, Tuesday.

The rape case happened in autumn 2016 in a refugee shelter in Berlin’s Moabit and took a tragic turn after police arrived to arrest the defendant. The father of the victim allegedly attempted to kill the defendant with a knife after his arrest. Police opened fire when the 29-year-old father rushed towards the police car, where the defendant sat in handcuffs, killing the father.

SOT, Lisa Jani, spokesperson of Berlin criminal courts (German): "The defendant is accused of the sexual assault of a six year-old girl. The scene took place on the premises of the refugee shelter in Kruppstrasse. The defendant is a Pakistani refugee while the child is from Iraq. When the situation emerged a turmoil started among the inhabitants of the shelter. The police were alarmed. During the arrest of the defendant a tragic accident happened. The father of the supposedly molested girl was shot dead.”

SOT, Lisa Jani spokesperson of Berlin criminal courts (German): "The defendant is alleged to have lured the girl to a absent place using his phone. After it is alleged that he had molested her.”

SOT, Christina Clemm, lawyer of the mother and girl (German): "They feel terrible of course. Can there be anything worse for a six-year-old child? She was only six and was molested by a man who lived in the same refugee shelter. He was caught in the act. And the next thing she hears - she didn’t have to witness it fortunately - is that her father died. There are no words to describe this. The child is conspicuous, she is traumatised, she sleeps badly."

SOT, Christina Clemm, lawyer of the mother and girl (German): "He was no stranger but lived in the same shelter; and the children knew him of course. The accommodation has surely contributed to this."